scholarly journals Entrepreneurs Self-Perception of Planning Skills: Evidences from Brazilian Entrepreneurs

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 107-121
Author(s):  
Vânia Maria Jorge Nassif ◽  
Marcos Hashimoto ◽  
Derly Jardim Amaral
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Theoretical Approach ◽  
External Environment ◽  
Internal Environment ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Planning Strategy ◽  
Important Relationship ◽  
Qualitative Part ◽  
Over Time

This study examined whether entrepreneurs see themselves as good strategic planners and understand key factors that contribute to plan their business endeavors. This is a quantitative-qualitative research. 339 entrepreneurs ahead of businesses with at least 5 years of existence in Sao Paulo, Brazil answered a survey with 27 validated questions about planning, strategy and entrepreneurship. Data was analyzed through factorial analysis. Results showed six factors named external environment, innovation, internal environment, experience, mission and impulsiveness. The qualitative part of the study brought a discussion about these factors. The relevance of the internal and external environments is shown by the important relationship and influence that these may exercise in the performance of the enterprise, including information about best practices of the market in the production of products/services in comparison to internal strengths and weaknesses. In contrast to environmental uncertainty and variations, that makes the planning effort extremely difficult for entrepreneurs. We suggest that their personal abilities can compensate the lack of planning, including their innovative ability together with accumulated experience. Thanks to these qualities, entrepreneurs are constantly honing their abilities to create and manage their businesses and, over time, achieving success. The factors rose on the analysis shows that the strategic planning initiatives of entrepreneurs balance both environmental facts and personal abilities. The theoretical approach of effectuation and causation explains how entrepreneurs deal with this balance when deciding to act impulsively or planned in certain conditions, representing the key contribution of this article.

When Culturally Significant Songs are Decontextualised: The Initiation Song Somagwaza, A Case Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
T Dowling ◽  
Somikazi Deyi ◽  
Anele Gobodwana
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
Popular Song ◽  
Focus Group Discussions ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Ritual Music ◽  
Constant Comparative Method ◽  
Small Focus ◽  
Over Time

While there have been a number of studies on the decontextualisation and secularisation of traditional ritual music in America, Taiwan and other parts of the globe, very little has been written on the processes and transformations that South Africa’s indigenous ceremonial songs go through over time. This study was prompted by the authors’ interest in, and engagement with the Xhosa initiation song Somagwaza, which has been re-imagined as a popular song, but has also purportedly found its way into other religious spaces. In this article, we attempted to investigate the extent to which the song Somagwaza is still associated with the Xhosa initiation ritual and to analyse evidence of it being decontextualised and secularised in contemporary South Africa. Our methodology included an examination of the various academic treatments of the song, an analysis of the lyrics of a popular song, bearing the same name, holding small focus group discussions, and distributing questionnaires to speakers of isiXhosa on the topic of the song. The data gathered were analysed using the constant comparative method of analysing qualitative research.

The Denial of Competence

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beth Hatt
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Social Construction ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Racial Identities ◽  
The Social ◽  
Teacher Power ◽  
Student Identities ◽  
Sociocultural Processes ◽  
And Gender

The legacy of the social construction of race, class, and gender within the social construction of smartness and identity in US schools are synthesized utilizing meta-ethnography. The study examines ethnographies of smartness and identity while also exploring what meta-ethnography has to offer for qualitative research. The analyses demonstrate that race, class, and gender are key factors in how student identities of ability or smartness are constructed within schools. The meta-ethnography reveals a better understanding of the daily, sociocultural processes in schools that contribute to the denial of competence to students across race, class, and gender. Major themes include epistemologies of schooling, learning as the production of identity, and teacher power in shaping student identities. The results are significant in that new insights are revealed into how gender, class, and racial identities develop within the daily practices of classrooms about notions of ability.

Metabolism, homeostasis and growth

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek Burton ◽  
Margaret Burton
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
White Muscle ◽  
External Environment ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Fish Growth ◽  
Chloride Cells ◽  
Internal Environment ◽  
Ion Regulation ◽  
Yolk Proteins ◽  
Active Substances

Metabolism consists of the sum of anabolism (construction) and catabolism (destruction) with the release of energy, and achieving a fairly constant internal environment (homeostasis). The aquatic external environment favours differences from mammalian pathways of excretion and requires osmoregulatory adjustments for fresh water and seawater though some taxa, notably marine elasmobranchs, avoid osmoregulatory problems by retaining osmotically active substances such as urea, and molecules protecting tissues from urea damage. Ion regulation may occur through chloride cells of the gills. Most fish are not temperature regulators but a few are regional heterotherms, conserving heat internally. The liver has many roles in metabolism, including in some fish the synthesis of antifreeze seasonally. Maturing females synthesize yolk proteins in the liver. Energy storage may include the liver and, surprisingly, white muscle. Fish growth can be indeterminate and highly variable, with very short (annual) life cycles or extremely long cycles with late and/or intermittent reproduction.

EFFECTS OF GROWTH INHIBITION BY HYDROCORTISONE ACETATE ON VARIANCE IN CHICKENS

1970 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 627-634
Author(s):  
J. S. Gavora ◽  
G. C. Hodgson
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
External Environment ◽  
Hormonal Treatment ◽  
Genotype By Environment Interaction ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Environment Interaction ◽  
Internal Environment ◽  
Hydrocortisone Acetate ◽  
Genotype By Environment ◽  
Treatment Interaction

Traditionally genotype by environment interaction studies have dealt with changes in external environment. In this experiment an attempt was made to alter internal environment and keep external environment constant. Cockerels from each of six different commercial stocks were injected with 0,1,2 and 4 mgs hydrocortisone acetate per 100 gms body weight at 14 days of age. This type of hormonal treatment was shown to release additional variability in growth without producing any stock-treatment interaction at the level of means. The results indicate a possible new avenue for future research.

Similar but Different: A Top-Down Benchmarking Approach to Investigate Nuclear Decommissioning Projects

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diletta Colette Invernizzi ◽  
Giorgio Locatelli ◽  
Naomi J. Brookes ◽  
Martin Grey
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Rocky Flats ◽  
Nuclear Decommissioning ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Nuclear Site ◽  
Recent Emergence ◽  
Management Literature

Project management literature has, until now, mainly focused on new build and only in the last decades the issues of decommissioning (mega) projects has arisen. To respond to this changing environment, project management will need to understand the challenges of decommissioning projects. Decommissioning projects within Oil & Gas, Chemical and Nuclear sectors are characterized by high costs, long schedules and uncertainty-based risks. The budget for Nuclear Decommissioning Projects and Programmes (NDPs) are subject to well publicized increases and, due to their relatively recent emergence, complexity and variety, key stakeholders lack a full understanding of the key factors influencing these increases. Benchmarking involves “comparing actual or planned practices [...] to identify best practices, generate ideas for improvement” [1] and offers significant potential to improve the performance of project selection, planning and delivery. However, even if benchmarking is the envisaged methodology to investigate the NDPs characteristics that impact on the NDPs performance, until now, it has only been partially used and there is a huge gap in the literature concerning benchmarking NDPs. This paper adapts a top-down benchmarking approach to highlight the NDPs characteristics that mostly impact on the NDPs performance. This is exemplified by a systematic quantitative and qualitative cross-comparison of two major “similar-but-different” NDPs: Rocky Flats (US) and Sellafield (UK). Main results concern the understanding of the alternatives of the owner and/or the contractors in relation to (1) the physical characteristics and the end state of the nuclear site, (2) the governance, funding & contracting schemes, and (3) the stakeholders’ engagement.

The main components of comprehensive support economic security of wholesale enterprises

2021 ◽  
pp. 76-85
Author(s):  
Oleksandr Kuchmieiev
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
External Environment ◽  
Economic Security ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Internal Environment ◽  
Wholesale Trade ◽  
Conceptual Apparatus ◽  
Main Components

The aim of the article is to analyze the state of risk management in wholesale enterprises, identify gaps and shortcomings, identify the main components of comprehensive economic security of wholesale enterprises. The methodology of the survey. The following research methods were used to solve the research tasks: analytical for studying and analyzing the scientific literature of the problem, regulations, official websites on the Internet, as well as analysis of functions, methods and technologies of integrated economic security of wholesale enterprises; generalizations for defining the conceptual apparatus of research, formulation of theoretical and practical approaches and conclusions; modeling in order to develop an algorithm for planning work on risk management in wholesale enterprises; observation of the functioning of wholesale trade enter- prises in modern realities, etc. The scientific novelty of the work is to develop an algorithm for planning work on risk management in wholesale enterprises. Conclusion. The article reveals the procedure for studying the destabilizing fac- tors and opportunities of the internal and external environment of the wholesale enterprise, in particular: first it is proposed to determine the factors of external and internal environment that affect the company and will affect it in the stra- tegic period; then gather information about these factors; further evaluate the

Increased adoption of best practices in ecological forecasting enables comparisons of forecastability across systems

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abigail S. L. Lewis ◽  
Whitney M. Woelmer ◽  
Heather L. Wander ◽  
Dexter W. Howard ◽  
John W. Smith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Support ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Forecast Skill ◽  
Robust Analysis ◽  
Ecological Forecasting ◽  
Workflow Automation ◽  
Future Developments ◽  
Current State ◽  
Near Term ◽  
Over Time

Near-term iterative forecasting is a powerful tool for ecological decision support and has the potential to transform our understanding of ecological predictability. However, to this point, there has been no cross-ecosystem analysis of near-term ecological forecasts, making it difficult to synthesize diverse research efforts and prioritize future developments for this emerging field. In this study, we analyzed 178 near-term ecological forecasting papers to understand the development and current state of near-term ecological forecasting literature and compare forecast skill across ecosystems and variables. Our results indicate that near-term ecological forecasting is widespread and growing: forecasts have been produced for sites on all seven continents and the rate of forecast publication is increasing over time. As forecast production has accelerated, a number of best practices have been proposed and application of these best practices is increasing. In particular, data publication, forecast archiving, and workflow automation have all increased significantly over time. However, adoption of proposed best practices remains low overall: for example, despite the fact that uncertainty is often cited as an essential component of an ecological forecast, only 45% of papers included uncertainty in their forecast outputs. As the use of these proposed best practices increases, near-term ecological forecasting has the potential to make significant contributions to our understanding of predictability across scales and variables. In this study, we found that forecast skill decreased in predictable patterns over 1–7 day forecast horizons. Variables that were closely related (i.e., chlorophyll and phytoplankton) displayed very similar trends in predictability, while more distantly related variables (i.e., pollen and evapotranspiration) exhibited significantly different patterns. Increasing use of proposed best practices in ecological forecasting will allow us to examine the forecastability of additional variables and timescales in the future, providing a robust analysis of the fundamental predictability of ecological variables.

scholarly journals Using Secondary Analysis to Maintain a Critically Reflexive Approach to Qualitative Research

2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 53-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Secondary Analysis ◽  
Research History ◽  
Critical Reflexivity ◽  
Over Time

Maintaining a ‘critical reflexivity’ ( Heaphy 2008 ) or ‘investigative epistemology’ ( Mason 2007 ) in relation to the sedimented assumptions built up over the course of one's own research history and embedded in common research boundaries, is difficult. The type of secondary analysis discussed in this paper is not an easy or quick ‘fix’ to the important issue of how such assumptions can embed themselves over time in methods chosen and questions asked. Even though archived studies are often accompanied by relatively detailed metadata, finding relevant data and getting a grasp on a sample, is time-consuming. However, it is argued that close examination of rawer data than those presented in research reports from carefully chosen studies combining similar foci and epistemological approaches but with differently situated samples, can help. Here, this process highlighted assumptions underlying the habitual disciplinary locations and constructions of so-called ‘vulnerable’ as opposed to ‘ordinary’ samples, leading the author to scrutinise aspects of her previous research work in this light and providing important insights for the development of further projects.

scholarly journals Podlaskie Voivodeship as an Opportunity for the Development of the BRI in Europe

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 338-344
Author(s):  
Joanna Gniedziejko ◽  
Łukasz Rybiński
Keyword(s):  
Swot Analysis ◽  
External Environment ◽  
Literature Analysis ◽  
Belt And Road Initiative ◽  
Internal Environment ◽  
Logical Construction ◽  
Course Of Action ◽  
Belt And Road ◽  
The Belt And Road ◽  
Critical Literature

This study aims to evaluate Podlaskie Voivodeship as an important element for the development of the Belt and Road Initiative, by identifying both the internal environment (in terms of strengths and weaknesses) as well as the external environment (in the context of opportunities and threats) of Podlaskie Voivodeship. The study was conducted using critical literature analysis, logical construction method, and SWOT analysis. The authors of the study identified and assessed the strengths and weaknesses of Podlaskie Voivodeship related to the development of the logistics infrastructure of the voivodeship in the light of the Belt and Road Initiative and the opportunities and threats associated with it. Factors of Podlaskie Voivodeship indicated in the article can influence the course of action to increase the competitive advantage of Podlaskie Voivodeship regarding the development of the Belt and Road Initiative in Europe. The study includes a comprehensive SWOT analysis of the Podlaskie Voivodeship in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative. Elements analyzed by the authors may have a significant impact on the development of the voivodeship's infrastructure network regarding the expansion of the BRI

scholarly journals MODEL STRATEGIC PLACES TRIANGLE UNTUK PENGEMBANGAN KAWASAN PARIWISATA

2007 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muchammad Nurif
Keyword(s):  
Swot Analysis ◽  
External Environment ◽  
Internal Environment ◽  
Tourist Destination ◽  
Cultural Changes ◽  
Natural Beauty ◽  
Tourism Sector ◽  
Mapping Analysis ◽  
Regulation Policy ◽  
One Stop

This research conducts on analysis of changes in the external environment of tourist destination especially for Kota Batu Malang District (East Java Province). The result of mapping analysis of the external environment shows factors that influence the condition, such as technological changes, the changes on regulation policy, socio-cultural changes, economical changes, and market changes. The analysis of internal environment of tourist destination in Kota Batu Malang results some influencing factors, namely a) nearness to Surabaya as the centre of government and economy, b) bureaucratic government system, c) the growth of industrial and tourism sector after agriculture. The use of Strategic Place Triangle approach and SWOT analysis results Positioning, Differentiation, and Brand of Kota Batu Malang tourism area. The Positioning of Kota Batu Malang tourism area is Bali of East Java that still holds religious values and local culture. The Differentiation is one-stop-shopping services, endless tourism enchantment, natural beauty, welcoming people, fame and enchant. The Brand of Kota Batu Malang tourism area is Enchantment of Kota Batu Malang Tourism.

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